Mattawa clinic examines funding shortage

by Chrystal Doucette<br>Herald Staff Writer
| September 21, 2007 9:00 PM

MATTAWA - Mattawa Community Medical Clinic is working to increase profitability.

According to audit findings from the Washington State Auditor's Office, the clinic is in financial trouble. The findings, issued Sept. 14, cover Jan. 1, 2005, to Dec. 31, 2006.

"Starting in 2007, the District will begin repayment on its limited tax general obligation bonds with an annual payment amount of $97,622," the report states. "In addition, because the District has no reserves, any equipment replacement would have to be covered out of daily revenues, which are already committed."

Grant County Public Hospital District No. 5 Board Director Suzan Lowell said a professional company identified areas for the district to examine at the clinic.

"We'll look at them further and decide what we're going to do," Lowell said.

According to the district's response, the clinic's pharmacy and Maternity Support Services are losing money. Lowell said the district has not made a decision on whether to continue the Maternity Support Services program.

"(For the pharmacy), Mattawa is in the process of revising the sliding feel scale so collections will cover the cost of medications, staffing, and administration allocation," according to the district's response.

The report states medical personnel were interested in renting space at the clinic. Lowell said the district is still working on the agreement.

A new charting system is being implemented, intended to minimize the cost of transcriptions and increase the clinic's quality and efficiency, the district's response states.

Additional solutions are going to be examined by meeting with other rural health clinics and hospital districts with the same challenges, according to the response.

Lowell said the biggest challenges faced by the clinic are the number of uninsured and the production and efficiency of providers.

"We're investigating a lot of different things, all the programs that we have, number of personnel," Lowell said. The items listed in the district's response to the auditor would be looked at, she said.